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Body Worlds at Dallas Museum of Nature and Science

I don't know how I missed it -- its arrival is usually heralded with headlines and protests -- but the controversial Body Worlds exhibit has come to Texas. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, to be specific -- it's been on since February 25 and runs through September 4, 2006.

If you haven't heard about Gunther von Hagens exhibit, you've missed out on the most fascinating anatomical exhibition ever. You thought the real ambulance and the walk-through heart at the Science Place was cool? von Hagens gives you the real thing -- real human organs, systems, and entire bodies preserved by a process called "plastination", in which the organic tissue is preserved with a special plastic that retains the position, shape, and color of the original.

If you've ever felt like the surgery programs on the Discovery Health channel just don't show enough detail, then make your South I-45 travel plans now.

PS: The museum's web site notes that it's on the Houston Light Rail, which will take care of another thing I've been dying (groan) to see. Any suggestions for good, cheap motels along the rail line or convenient to the museum? Emphasis on "cheap". It's already going to cost over $100 for my bunch to go to the exhibit.

PPS: Yes, that's a real horse.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Ive been wanting to go myself. But there is something just a little creepy about the whole thing. I think it has something to do with body parts and whole entire bodies being in front of me, if I had to guess.

I will see it because I will regret it if I dont.

Cheap hotels are everywhere, just not right on the light rail. Downtown has hotel rooms that tend to be over 130 bucks, some over 200 or 300 bucks. But you should be able to find some moderate stuff around Reliant Park, which has it's own light rail station. Most of the hotels around Reliant Park are within a 10 minute walk to the station.

If you want more reasonable, plenty of stuff around hobby airport, things like motel 6 and La Quinta and such. If you have a vehicle, then you can just park at the south terminus of the rail line (Fannin South Station), which has a metro park-n-ride, and it cost $2 for 24 hours.

Dallas, TX (October 4, 2006) – Beginning Saturday, December 9, the Museum of Nature & Science, Dallas, will host the North Texas debut of Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies . Museum of Nature & Science visitors will be able to experience the human body in all its elegance and complexity by viewing real human bodies that have been preserved through a remarkable process called Plastination.

“One of our goals is to illuminate and educate our community about natural and life sciences, and BODY WORLDS is a powerful way to do it,” said Nicole Small, CEO of the Museum of Nature & Science. “I am proud of the Museum's deep roots in the life sciences and of our efforts to transform ourselves into a science and technology center for the 21st century. This exhibition illustrates that commitment.”

The release is dated October, but somehow I totally missed it! No link for tickets yet at the museum's web site (http://www.natureandscience.org/), just the promise of "late November".

One other cool tidbit. There are actually three travelling Body Worlds exhibitions. Houston got Body Worlds #3 -- the one with the amazing rearing stallion and rider. But that didn't include some of Gunther von Hagens' more provocative and controversial plastinates. During a question-and-answer session in Houston, von Hagens noted that he determines which exhibition goes to what city based on several factors, including whether the host city will accept the subject matter. Apparently, Dallas is a more cosmopolitan city than Houston... because we're getting the original! According to an article about the exhibit's previous venue, St. Paul, Minnesota, this version includes von Hagens' extensive collection of human fetuses -- one of the more consistently controversial parts of his presentations.

Some Googlepoking brought up an October blog entry at the Dallas Morning News site. Sharon Grigsby visited the St. Paul show (the one that's coming to Dallas), and was less than impressed, describing it as a "voyeuristic freak show". Ouch.

Last edited by RobertB; 23 November 2006 at 07:47 PM.
Reason: add linky

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Tickets are on sale now! Well, kinda. Following the "buy tickets" link from the new Body Worlds pages gives you a delay and an error -- looks like their server is getting hammered. Best bet may be to show up tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 10 am.

And to celebrate, it looks like the museum has upped their membership rates! I'd have sworn a family membership was in the $70 range when I looked last week. Now that Body Worlds is in town, it's $90. The page has also been revised to make it more clear that the family rate is for two adults and four kids -- it used to say "and five family members".

Here are the prices -- I think they're actually a hair cheaper than Houston, though I may be mistaken.

Very interesting. My boss got an invite to the opening of this show on Dec 8th and offered it around to us in the staff meeting. He's already been to the show in NYC. I'm not sure I'll be the one going though...it sounds fascinating, but a little much for me!

Very interesting. My boss got an invite to the opening of this show on Dec 8th and offered it around to us in the staff meeting. He's already been to the show in NYC. I'm not sure I'll be the one going though...it sounds fascinating, but a little much for me!

Is the invite still up for grabs? My daughter would just about kill (and donate the body for plastination) for an opportunity like that.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Ive conatcted them about donating myself. I dont know if I will yet, I just want some info.

Info available here: Body Donation Program. I dawdled after the Houston show (I actually got to go, can you believe it?), but now I'll be able to be a statistic when they say "Look how many people signed up during the Dallas exhibition!"

Last edited by RobertB; 27 November 2006 at 04:25 PM.
Reason: Ought to mention that I did make it to Houston!

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

I highly recomend it, I have been to both Body Worlds 1 and 2 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It was fantastic, and very tasteful. I have heard there is another one that is really is not tasteful and rather disrespectful. But BodyWorlds is very well done, and presented. Tons of information, agian highly recomended.

My wife and daughter made it to the pre-opening gala for Body Worlds, and they report that it's even better than expected. Apparently, von Hagens decided to change around the exhibits a bit, because the Dallas show includes *both* the human development exhibit *and* some of the best, most amazing plastinates we saw in Houston, including the Horse and Rider. It's got to be seen to be believed -- a massive draft horse (a stallion) with rider, rearing up on his hind legs. I have no idea how von Hagens managed to make the sculpture -- it's indeed a sculpture, in human and equine flesh -- stand up without falling. My daughter went to the Houston show, and she was amazed at the new exhibits. My wife hadn't been at all, and she was utterly amazed.

Plus, the pre-opening fete was pretty cool. An amazing variety of extremely fancy food, including the best stuffed grapevine leaves my daughter has had since she fell in love with the dish in Greece (my wife hasn't gotten a taste for them, though). Sadly, though, von Hagens didn't make the premiere -- the first time in 10 years that he hasn't attended a Body Worlds opening. Seems that in an airport en route, he fell and injured himself -- he's a hemophiliac, a condition that nearly killed him as a child in Communist East Germany and led to his interest in the human body after its owner has departed. The doctors put him on bedrest as a precaution, so no opening galas for him. I expect to see him here soon, though -- it looks like he also makes a visit during the course of each show to hold a question-and-answer session with the public. We were lucky enough to attend the Houston show on the day he was speaking, and the exhibit is about the only thing more fascinating than von Hagens himself.

The exhibit continues through May, but make plans to visit early and often. If you've ever wondered if the proverb "Beauty is only skin deep" could be taken literally, you won't be disappointed -- the exhibit disproves that notion once and for all.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Tour the new exhibit at the Museum of Nature & Science, and you will almost surely emerge affected.

You might be revolted. Or amazed. It's likely you'll be forced to contemplate your own mortality, what you believe about the afterlife, or how you want your body treated.

It's a long article; hit the link to read it. Some cool stuff near the end, though:

The museum is anticipating huge crowds. It's hired 80 new employees and upgraded the ticket-selling system.

The museum isn't paying to bring the exhibit to town, Ms. Small said. Instead, the museum and Dr. von Hagens' company will split the take from ticket and souvenir sales.

Dr. von Hagens is frequently asked about the eventual fate of his own body.

Of course, he wants it plastinated.

His preference would be to get chopped into thin sections – along with his trademark fedora – so his parts could be used to educate people in many places at once. His wife is inclined to keep him in one piece.

He's philosophical about whatever happens.

"I think it's up to the next generation to decide how to plastinate me," he said.

Pic of the aforementioned fedora available at his Wikipedia bio. I'd post the picture from the article here, but von Hagens is pictured standing in front of what appear to be cadavers in the process of being plastinated. If your stomach turned at the sight of that one forum member's nearly-severed thumb, you won't want to view the full-size version of the image. On the other hand, if you're subject to such digestive errors, you probably aren't even reading this thread. Click away!

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

I saw it here in Boston back in September. It's really really interesting. I'm pretty freaked out by the sight of this kind of stuff, typically, but it was very surreal more than anything.

They didn't allow cameras inside at the Boston show. Is that also the case here?

If you're still considering going, do it just to see a camel cut in half. Muscles, stomachs, fur and all. It's pretty cool.

No cameras at any of his shows, ever. My daughter and her friend even had to sign releases before being allowed to bring sketch pads into the Houston exhibit. Wikipedia removed the poor-quality cameraphone pix from its article on the exhibit, citing copyright issues.

von Hagens is famously protective of his techniques -- it may be part paranoia, but it's also a trade secrets issue. The knockoff shows routinely attempt to copy his more compelling images, resulting in frequent court fights over whether certain poses are copyrighted.

My bunch that went to the preview talked at length about the stallion, but didn't mention a camel. Although this is Body Worlds 1, the same one as in Boston, I believe von Hagens has switched things around a bit. The stallion was part of BW3 in Houston, which moved on to Vancouver, but a quick Googling on "vancouver body worlds camel" gives a blog entry saying "Also, I'm pretty sure that camel did not give consent." I guess the folks in Vancouver will have to make do with the camel instead of the horse they may have been expecting. This is Texas, after all. What more iconic image than a horse and rider -- with or without his skin?

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

We had Body Worlds 2. I'm not sure how they're different, but I'm a little surprised there's enough to swap out exhibits for certain others.

I think every third person was signing to give their body away to the exhibit when they die. I would expect it in Cambridge, MA, but it was still a little creepy. Hey, I guess that means future exhibits won't be executed Chinese political prisoners, right?

By the by, I went to the exhibit last weekend. A wonderful experience. I even did the IMAX movie combo about the human body. I highly recommend it to anybody considering visting. I was surprisingly not "creeped out" by the exhibit in the least --mostly because I think I had to keep reminding myself these were people. It was sort of the same 9/11 experience of "Oh, this isn't some fake movie CG thing --it's real life."

The place was packed by lunchtime, so I hope it's finally getting strong crowds. I think some of the early sparse attendance might've been a lack of PR on the museum's part and, well, it's just not Christmasy.

I'm going to catch the Chicago one, too, when it arrives.

...these devils of yours they need love
Come and kneel with me Body and Soul...

By the by, I went to the exhibit last weekend. A wonderful experience. I even did the IMAX movie combo about the human body. I highly recommend it to anybody considering visting. I was surprisingly not "creeped out" by the exhibit in the least --mostly because I think I had to keep reminding myself these were people. It was sort of the same 9/11 experience of "Oh, this isn't some fake movie CG thing --it's real life."

The place was packed by lunchtime, so I hope it's finally getting strong crowds. I think some of the early sparse attendance might've been a lack of PR on the museum's part and, well, it's just not Christmasy.

I'm going to catch the Chicago one, too, when it arrives.

Chicago already had one -- I think they were the first US city to host the exhibition. Are they going to get it *again*? Lucky so-and-so's.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

I was recently up in ny and saw they are having a show as well. How many shows go on at once? Or was it knock off show?

There are three travelling exhibitions of the Body Worlds show. They are all called Body Worlds (with a numeric suffix for #2 and #3). If it's not called Body Worlds, it's not the real thing. And according to http://www.bodyworlds.com/ , #1 is in Dallas, #2 is in Boston (and then Chicago), and #3 is in Vancouver (and then Phoenix). Looks like NYC is getting treated to a display of executed Chinese dissidents instead.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Body Worlds creator Gunther von Hagens will be on KERA 90.1 on Tuesday:

1pm: Have you ever wondered what the human body really looks like on the inside? You can find out at the acclaimed exhibit Body Worlds, which is on display at the Museum of Nature & Science until May 28th. We'll talk about the exhibit this hour with the inventor of the plastination process and creator of Body Worlds, Dr. Gunther von Hagens. We'll also get the perspective of a local physician from Dr. Rod Rohrich, Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

This is a must-listen show. I got to hear von Hagens in Houston, and he's just facinating to listen to. He told the story of how he decided to push forward with his passion for plastination, and how it related to growing up in Communist East Germany, before the Iron Curtain fell. He once had a chance to escape to the West -- through a window! -- but hesitated, and lost the opportunity. When he discovered the technique used in his exhibit (first perfected on pigs), he decided that the window was opening again, and he wasn't going to hesitate before jumping in headfirst.

KERA also has podcasts of their "Think" talk show, so if you miss it live Tuesday, be sure to pick it up later.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

There's a .pdf at the museum's web site (look in the Press Releases section) with some great info what is arguably the centerpiece of the exhibit, the massive Horse and Rider. Here's a snippet -- with a rare look at the person you'll see (in ways you would never imagine) on the horse.

...von Hagens used the largest horse he could find -- over six feet tall at the shoulders and weighing 1763 pounds.

Dr. von Hagens, who views his BODY WORLDS exhibits as "a collaboration between donor, anatomist and visitor," revealed for the first time, some intriguing details about the donor straddling the horse. He said that the rider was a European journalist in his forties, who had reviewed and frequently written about BODY WORLDS in the 1990s, and told von Hagens that he had been touched by the exhibition. He contacted von Hagens to discuss donating his body after he was diagnosed and had been living with carcinoma of the eye. "He was an imposing figure and as his health deteriorated, we began to speak of how he wished to be presented. He told me he wanted a striking pose, and I showed him Fragonard’s horse and rider in the donation book. It captured his imagination and we talked about the aesthetics and ethics of the image and the pose in a very lengthy discussion one evening," von Hagens said.

When von Hagens first saw the body of his deceased friend, he said he felt a great responsibility. "I felt deeply obliged to present him as triumphant." Just as da Vinci’s preparation for The Statue of Francesco Sforza included exhaustive anatomical drawings of horses, and logistical and engineering plans for execution, von Hagens made preliminary drawings and plans. He traveled to Vienna and visited Wiener Hofreitschule, the famous horse riding school. He bought a miniature porcelain horse from a Viennese merchant that would serve as the model for the plastinated horse. He bought a special $40,000 crane and installed it behind his laboratory in Heidelberg. "To plastinate the horse, we dug a hole in the ground 20 ft by 13 ft by 16 ft and built a vacuum chamber measuring 13 ft by 10 ft by 71/2 ft," he said. When the horse and rider were united after silicon impregnation -- the second phase of Plastination -- they had to be willed, delicately, into the striking pose. With the aid of hundreds of numbered strings attached to the specimens’ limbs, muscles, and joints, von Hagens was able to give directions to his team by identifying the strings by numbers.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09